What to Do About Seasonal Depression
Georgia winters can be beautiful — unless you have seasonal affective disorder (SAD). If the long, cold, gloomy days give you the blues, you’re not alone, but you’re in luck. SAD is treatable, and we can help.
How Do I Know if I'm Clinically Depressed?
Sadness is one of the toughest emotions to face. Whether going through a breakup, losing a loved one, or getting fired, we all feel sad from time to time. But with time, most sadness goes away, and slowly you start to feel better.
Extreme sadness that persists for more than two weeks and prevents you from living your life is classified as clinical depression. Clinical depression is a mental illness that affects more than three million people every year.
You don’t have to face depression alone. Naima Cheema, MD and her team at Nexclin Medicine, with three locations in Georgia, are here to help you regain happiness and get your life back on track.
How to know if you’re depressed
Sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference between sadness and clinical depression. Sadness is a normal response to loss, disappointment, and difficult circumstances. Sadness usually goes away, though, and doesn’t dramatically change your life.
Depression is a mental illness. It may start for no apparent reason, and often lasts for a long time. When you’re depressed, you may feel worthless, helpless, and have no interest in things you used to enjoy.
Most states of depression cause severe symptoms that disrupt relationships, school, and work.
Signs of depression include:
- Loss of pleasure in normal activities like hobbies, sex, and friendships
- Sleeping too little or too much
- Outbursts of anger
- Frustration over minor problems
- Frequent thoughts of or attempts at suicide
- Unexplained physical pain
These symptoms usually occur all day, every day. While some people with depression only get a single episode during their lives, most experience at least several over time.
Not part of getting older
Don’t confuse depression with getting older. Although older adults are at an increased risk of developing depression, it should always be taken seriously no matter what your age. Unfortunately, depression often goes undiagnosed, and many adults are hesitant to seek help because of the stigma that still surrounds the condition.
Depression symptoms may appear less extreme in older adults. Symptoms include:
- Memory trouble
- Personality changes
- Physical pain
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Lack of desire to socialize
- Suicidal thoughts
Depression is best treated as soon as possible. With empathy for every patient, Dr. Cheema helps alleviate your depression with a variety of treatment options.
Treatment
Approximately 8% of adults over the age of 20 experience depression. If you’re dealing with depression, you might feel like life’s hopeless and won’t ever get better. However, that’s not true, and the sooner you seek professional help, the sooner you can live a full life again.
When you come in for your appointment with Dr. Cheema, she may do a physical exam and psychiatric evaluation. She may order a blood test to ensure that your thyroid is functioning properly. The results of these tests help assess what type of depression you have and what treatment is best for you.
Your treatment options may incorporate talk therapy, medication, or a combination of both. Talk therapy aims to get to the root of your depression and help make positive changes in your life. Medication, usually in the form of antidepressants, can help improve serotonin imbalances that play a role in causing depression.
Start toward a happier future today. Call 770-558-2873 to schedule an appointment, or book online.
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